Time expressions and adverbs that are used with the simple past tense.
The Simple Past Tense is used to describe completed actions or events that happened in the past. It is often used with time expressions like yesterday, last week, in 2020, an hour ago, etc.
Time Expressions
Yesterday
Last night
Last week/month/year
A few minutes ago
A moment ago
An hour ago
A day/week/month/year ago
A few years back
Some time ago
Not long ago
The day before yesterday
The night before last
Earlier today
At that time
At the beginning of the year
At the end of the month
The other day
In 1990 (or any past year)
On Monday (or any past day)
On my birthday
At 5 PM (or any past time)
This morning (if the morning is over)
In the past
In ancient times
In my childhood
When I was young
When I was a teenager
In my early twenties
In my school days
Before I moved to…
When I lived in…
Many years ago
A long time ago
Every day/week/month (in the past)
Back then
In those days
From 2010 to 2015
Once upon a time
Usage Examples
Yesterday
・I saw my friend yesterday.
Last night
・We watched a movie last night.
Last summer
・She traveled to Italy last summer.
A few minutes ago
・I called you a few minutes ago.
An hour ago
・He left the office an hour ago.
Two years ago
・They got married two years ago.
The other day
・I met my old teacher the other day.
Earlier today
・I spoke to the manager earlier today.
At that time
・At that time, we didn’t know what would happen.
At the beginning of the year
・I made a resolution at the beginning of the year.
In 1990
・My parents moved here in 1990.
On Monday
・I had an important meeting on Monday.
At 5 PM
・The train arrived at 5 PM.
In the past
・People used to write letters in the past.
In my childhood
・I played outside a lot in my childhood.
When I was young
・When I was young, I loved riding my bike.
Before I moved to…
・Before I moved to New York, I lived in Boston.
A long time ago
・We first met a long time ago.
Back then
・We didn’t have smartphones back then.
From 2010 to 2015
・I worked at that company from 2010 to 2015.
Once upon a time
・Once upon a time, there was a brave knight.